Ironing press



Feb; 14. 19 39. w. M. EMERY 2,147,485

IRONING PRESS Original Filed Ju ne 21, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 A TTORNEYS.

w. M. EMERY IRONING PRESS Feb. 14, 1939.

Original Filed June 21, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

ATTORNEYS.

Patented Feb. 14, 1939 IRONING PRESS William M. Emery, Cleveland Heights, Ohio,- assignor to General Electric Company, a corporation of New York 'Original application June 21, 1934, Serial No.

1 Claim.

This application is a divislonof my copending application Serial No. 731,616, filed June 21, 1934, Patent No. 2,002,240, and entitled Ironing presses.

My present invention refers to presses and press ironers.

An object of the invention is to provide for resiliently supporting the buck and providing for its easy adjustment as to height, inclination and resiliency; particularly adapted for use with a pivotally suspended pressing head.

Another object is to produce a novel and more convenient arrangement of parts suitable for use by women. operators when they are comfortably seated in an ordinary chair.

Other objects will be obvious from the description and claim which follow.

In the drawings,

Figure l is a view in elevation of a press embodying my invention showing the elements coacting.

Figure 2 is a sectional view showing the elements separated.

The legs l6 support the table top H from the ends of the table at a height to comfortably clear the knees of an operator seated before the press in a conventional chair, with feet and knees 'under the table top, straddling the housing frame it, if necessary.

Referring to Fig. 1, there is shown a table structure it, consisting of legs It, a table top it; and a housing frame It.

Fixed to the table are two identical bolts 2i, with hinge pivots 22 in their top ends. Hinged to said pivots 22 is a buck plate 23 having a flat top 2d,-and a 'vertical web portion 25 extending downward through a cut in the table top ll. An expansion spring 26 is attached to portion 25 of the buck plate 23 and is adjustable as to tension by a hex-head bolt 21! threaded in a nut set in the coned end 23 of spring 26.

To adjustably limit the inclination of the buck plate 23 there is provided a set screw 29 which is threaded in a block 3i attached to table I i and which bears against vertical web portion 25 0d buck plate 23. It should be noted that the pivots 22 are below and rearward of the center of pressure between the head and buck, so that a variation in the angle of the buck plate 23 produces a change in the height of the said center of pressure.

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the buck 33, hereinafter described, is inclined forwardly towards the operator to give to the operator a better view of the top surface of the buck, thereby facilitating the lay and allowing a more restful and Divided and this application April 1, 1935, Serial No. 14,160.

In Canada June- 23,

better sitting posture for the woman operator. By means of the adjustment set screw 29 and the variation of the padding of the buck 33, later described, it is possible to adjust the buck for greater inclination at the will of the operator.

The front and back edges of the fiat top 2d of the buck plate 23 are arranged to slide in guide tracks 30 and M respectively, attached to the forward and rearward edges of the under side of a metal buck bed 32. Attached to the buck bed 32 are suitable paddings and coverings. If the thickness of the padding is increased by the operator it is necessary to increase the inclination of the buck to lower it to maintain the same contact with the head, it, later described. The padding and covers, together with the bed 32 and tracks 3i] and iii, etc, will hereinafter be referred to collectively as the bed or buck A pressing head 36 is hung from a pivot 3i in the forward end of a c shaped support arm M. A flexible iiat spring 39 is attached to the support arm 38 and contacts with the pressing head i?! when the support arm is swung rearwardly.

The support arm 3% is somewhat O shaped and extends downwardly and again forwardly, terminating in pivotal connection rod at with a pair of radius arms M and 2. The radius arms M and d2 operate about a fixed shaft 43 attached to the housing frame it.

A roller M is mounted in an angularly projecting portion of support arm 32 and operates along and in a cam ii.

Cam W is shaped to eflect a movement of the head 36 from a position wherein the head is to the rear of the buck 2t, and in part below the inclined plane of the pressing surface of the buck as well as the horizontal plane passing through the buck (see Fig. 2) and wherein the head completely uncovers the buck. From thence the head moves over the buck, just clearing the higher and rear edge of the buck to a position slightly above the plane of the buck and from thence it moves into contact with the buck, moving at an angle slightly inclined forwardly and downwardly from a vertical established by a plumb line. For purposes of exposition let us suppose a watch face to be superimposed on pivot 31 in Fig. 1, then the movement just referred to would be in the direction of a line drawn on the face of the watch from let us say the numeral H to the numeral 5. Since the buck 33 is also inclined downward and forward toward the operator, the head moves into contact with the buck at an angle materially less than degrees. In the cam 4'! there is always, of necessity to insure free movement, some play between roller and cam 41, and this is multiplied about four times by leverage to the head. Since the forces which move the head into contact with the buck are operative at an angle other or less than 90 degrees, a resultant of these forces is created which tends to cause a sliding action between the ironing surfaces of the head and buck. The extent of this movement would usually be dependent upon the position of the pivotal mounting of the head support arm, if it is so mounted, relative to the contactual plane of the elements and also dependent upon the play or free movement in the mounting of the elements. The resultant of force just referred to, which tends to or does produce this sliding action will vary materially in force and direction according to the amount and direction of the inclination of the plane of contact between the head and buck in relation to the direction through which the forces act to apply the pressure.

To effect the actuation of the radius arms II and 42, and incidentally the pressing head, the radius arm 42 is made to include a cam portion 54 which is compoundedly curved and is shaped with extreme care. Operating in the cam is a ball-bearing roller 55, mounted in a radius arm 56 which is mounted on a shaft 58 journaled in the housing frame IS. A manually operated lever BI is attached to shaft 58, a downward movement of which causes the head to separate from the buck, and an upward movement of the lever 6| is incidental to the closing of the head to the buck. The lever 6| projects through a slot in the housing frame ID as shown in Fig. 2.

Pressure between the head 25 and the buck 53 may be, but is not normally brought about by lifting the operating handle 6|. Such pressure is eifectuated automatically by means of turning of the radius arm 56 and thereby moving the roller forward in cam 54 by the action of the spring 68 and the toggle mechanism 84.

Toggle mechanism 64 consists of a connecting member 65 pivoted to the radius arm 56, and a bell crank member 66 pivoted to the connecting member 65, and also pivoted on a fixed shaft 61 mounted in the housing frame I8. Operably connected with the bell crank member 66 by a stud shaft and roller 10 is the extension spring 68, which is adjustably pre-stressed by a wing head bolt H, which passes through the table II and engages a nut 69 set in the coned end of spring 58.

For a more complete description of the opeation of this press, reference should be made to my concurrent Patent No. 2,002,240, application No. 731,616.

I claim:

In a press, the combination of a pressing head and a buck, a pivotal support for the head, a pivotal support for the buck offset from the longitudinal center line thereof, the pivots of said supports being relatively offset in a direction front to rear of the press, resilient means pivoting the buck in a direction opposite to the pivotal movement under the pressure of the pressing head, stop means limiting only the pivotal movement of the buck by said resilient means whereby the buck has a predetermined initial inclination, and means for adjusting the stop means to raise or lower the initial position of the center of the buck.

WHAIAIAM M. EMERY. 

